Antenna cap for computer device utilizing a radio card

ABSTRACT

A computer device for receiving and utilizing a radio card. The radio transceiver is self contained inside the radio card and has antenna contacts disposed on the radio card on one end and an electrical interface on the other. The computer device receives the radio card such that it engages the electrical interface. The computer device additionally has and cap which covers the opening into which the radio has been inserted. Antenna contacts are disposed on the cap to engage the antenna contacts on the radio card. At least one antenna is operably connected to the radio card through the cap. A band is used to attach the cap to the housing of the computer device. The antenna or antennas are embedded in the cap, in the band, or embedded in or attached to the housing of the computer device. Positioning two similar antennas in different position creates an antenna diversity scheme. Shielding can be added to the cap to help reduce the escape of electronic noise. A micro shield ribbon can be used to connect the antenna and the antenna contacts on the cap.

This application is a continuation of application No. 08/097,462, filedJul. 26, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,346.

AUTHORIZATION PURSUANT TO 37 CFR 1.71 (D) (E)

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

RELATED CASE

The present case is related to U.S. Application Ser. No. 08/081,411filed Jun. 22, 1993 by P. Kinney now abandoned, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to computer devices utilizingremovable radio frequency communication devices used for transmittingand receiving information and more particularly to an improved apparatusfor connecting an appropriate antenna to the radio frequencycommunication device using an antenna cap.

BACKGROUND ART

Many computer devices use modular components to allow increasedflexibility and adaptability to various work environments. This isespecially true in the area of small computing device such as hand heldcomputer terminals, vehicle mounted computer terminals and small lap-topcomputers. Along these lines, small, removable and interchangeablememory cards were developed. The memory cards have now becomecommonplace and the PCMCIA memory card standard has become acceptedindustry wide as the format to use.

The PCMCIA memory cards are relative small with a length and widthroughly the size of a credit card. The thickness of these cards is morethan that of a credit card and there are several thicknesses used fordifferent cards. These cards are designed to slide into a receivingportion of a computer device. At one end of the card is an interfacesection which is in essence the female portion of a connector whichmates with the male end in the receiving device. This connection anddesign, including the number of pins, layout of the pins, and the pinsize for the connection, are all part of the PCMCIA standard.

The success of the removable and interchangeable PCMCIA memory cards hasled to the development of other types of peripheral devices which usethe same standard. Of particular interest to the present application arethe cards which contain radio transceivers. These radio transceiverdevices, or radio cards, can be inserted into and connected to areceiving device in the same manner as a memory card. However, withthese devices there is an addition connection which must be made toconnect the transceiver device to a radio antenna.

Radio frequency communication allows two or more computer terminals tocommunicate without actually being wired together. Many types of radiocommunication exist and many different radio frequencies can and must beused to accommodate the different types of radio communication. Forexample, a radio which operates by sending the information on a singlechannel in the 902 MHz range differs from a radio which sends itsinformation utilizing spread spectrum frequency hopping in the2.400-2.483 GHz range. The antennas necessary to operate in thedifferent frequency ranges also differ.

Connection of the radio card to an outside antenna is typically made byeither extending the length of the card beyond the standard length withthe antenna built into the extended portion or by having an antenna ortelephone cable protrude out of the end of the radio card to which theuser may attach an antenna or telephone line. These options havesignificant limitation. Both connections severely limit the type ofdevices which can accommodate the cards. Most devices cannot accommodatethe extra length without some modification and both connections makeenvironmentally sealing the connections difficult. Additionally, bothconnections are susceptible to increased damage from dropping or otherphysical trauma. An external antenna to which the user must couple anantenna is inconvenient and subjects the radio to periods ofunreliability due to wear of the cable and connection.

As disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/081,411 filed Jun. 22, 1993by P. Kinney, improving the connection between the radio card and theappropriate antenna can be accomplished by using antenna contactsmounted on the housing of the radio card which encounter correspondingantenna contacts mounted on the receiving portion of the computerdevice. This solution eliminates the need for extending the length ofthe radio card and permits the radio card to remain environmentallysealed.

However, while the connection of the radio card to the antenna is solvedby the use of these contacts, the flexibility and interchangability ofthe antennas to compensate for all of the different radio cards is not.Additionally, the contact method as disclosed is not ideally suited foruse with computer devices which are designed to accept cards of thistype but which do not have the antenna contacts built in or for computerdevices which do not have an antenna built in or attached to with whichthe radio card could be connected.

Thus, there is a need for an improved computer device apparatus forconnecting a removable card type radio to a protected, interchangeable,environmentally sealed antenna which uses contacts located on thehousing of the radio card.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to computer devices utilizingremovable radio frequency communication devices used for transmittingand receiving information and more particularly to an improved apparatusfor connecting an appropriate antenna to the radio frequencycommunication device using an antenna cap. A removable radio card can beinserted into a receiving device, such as a slot, through an opening inthe housing of a computer device. The radio card has an electricalinterface on one end which engages with an interface on the receivingdevice. On the opposite end of the radio card are radio card antennacontacts.

The computer device of the present invention includes a cap whichengages with the opening in the housing of the computer device. The capincludes antenna contacts positioned to engage the radio card antennacontacts. The cap is connected to one end of a band. The other end ofthe band is connected to the housing of the computer device. An antennacan be embedded in the cap, embedded in the band or embedded in or onthe housing of the computer device. Connection of the antenna contactson the cap and of the antenna is accomplished through the cap andutilizes either wire connections or a micro shield ribbon.

Different radio cards may transmit on different frequencies andtherefore need different antennas. Multiple antennas allow the radiocards to selectively transmit and receive on different antennas basedupon the frequency used for communication. Additionally, two similarantennas can be used to implement an antenna diversity scheme.

An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna cap for usewith computer devices utilizing radio cards.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna capwhich is reliable, economical and easy to use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an antenna capwhereby an appropriate antenna will be connected to a radio card byselectively positioning the antenna contacts on the radio card.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna capwhereby a radio card may simultaneously connect to and utilize more thanone radio antenna.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an antennacap which provides an antenna for computer devices which do not have abuilt in antenna.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description of theinvention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a back view of a computer device and radio card built inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 of thecomputer device and radio card;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 of thecomputer device;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view of another computer devicebuilt in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4 of the computerdevice showing the rubber cap inserted therein;

FIG. 6 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along line 6--6 ofFIG. 5 showing a radio antenna embedded within the rubber cap;

FIG. 7 is a partial vertical section view taken along line 7--7 of FIG.6 of the rubber cap;

FIG. 8 is a partial vertical sectional view of another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 is a partial vertical sectional view of still another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial back view taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 2 of thecomputer device;

FIG. 11 is a partial back view of still another embodiment built inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken along line 12--12of FIG. 11 of the band showing the shielded ribbon used to carry theantenna signals; and

FIG. 13 is partial back view of a computer device of yet anotherembodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1,2 and 3 show a computer device (11) for utilizing a radio card (10)built in accordance with the present invention. The computer device (11)has a housing (12). Inside the radio card (10) is a completely operationradio transceiver (not shown). The computer device (11) has an opening(14) in the housing (12) through which the radio card (10) can beinserted into the computer device (12). In the present embodiment of theinvention, the receiving means for the computer device is a slot (15).

When the radio card (10) is inserted into the slot (15) in the computerdevice (11) an interface between the radio card (10) and the computerdevice (11) is produced. The computer device (11) has a plurality ofpins (not shown) which form the male portion of a connector. The radiocard (10) has a corresponding plurality of holes (not shown) which formthe female portion of the connector and which engage the pins. The pinsare connected internally and electrically to the computer device (11) bya series of electrical connections such as wires or electrical ribbon.The holes in the radio card (10) are electrically connected to the radiotransceiver. When the pins engage the holes, electrical signals can beexchanged between the radio transceiver inside the radio card (10) andthe computer device (11). The electrical signals can be in the form ofinformation exchange, power supply or both. The radio card (10) includesantenna contacts (17) to engage corresponding radio antenna contactsthat are connected to an appropriate antenna.

The computer device (11) includes a cap (20) which is designed tomatingly engage the opening (15) in the housing (12) of the computerdevice (11) and thereby cover the slot (15) used to receive the radiocard (10). A flexible band (22) attaches the cap (22) to the housing(12) of the computer device (11). One end of the band (22) is connectedto the cap (22) while the other end is attached to the housing (12). Ahandle (24) helps assist the removal of the cap (20) from the housing(12) of the computer device (11).

The cap (20) is constructed of a closed cell foam material with high aircontent for low dielectric losses. Alternatively, a quality dielectricmaterial may be used to reduce the size of the antenna structure. Thecap (20) when made of a foam material helps to protect the radio cardfrom the physical trauma typically associated with computer devices ofthese types. Additionally, as will be discussed in further detail below,the cap (20) helps to environmentally seal the opening (14) preventingharmful material from the outside such as dust or moisture from reachingthe radio card (10) and helps to reduce the escape of electronic noisefrom the housing (12) created by the radio card (10) and computer device(11). As will be discussed below, a grounded metal shield covering aportion of the cap (20) is used to reduce the escape of electronicnoise.

While the cap (20) helps to seal the opening, protect the radio card(10) and hold the radio card in place, the primary function of the capis to provide the radio card (10) access to an appropriate antenna orantennas. The connection of the radio card (10) to the antenna is madethrough the cap (20). The antenna or antennas can be embedded in the cap(20), embedded in the band (22) or even attached to, mounted on, orembedded in the housing (12) of the computer device (11).

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a computer device (30) built inaccordance with the present invention is shown with a cap (34) engagedin the opening of the housing (32) wherein a radio card can be inserted.A band (36) is attached to both the cap (34) and the housing (32). Theband (36) helps prevent the loss of the cap (34) when the cap (34) isnot engaged in the housing (32) of the computer device (30).

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the cap (32) is shown engaged with thehousing (32) of the computer device (30). The cap (34) includes anoutwardly extending lip (36) which helps to environmentally seal theopening in the housing (32) preventing harmful material from the outsidesuch as dust or moisture from reaching the radio card (40) which hasbeen inserted into the computer device (30). When the cap (34) iscompletely inserted or fully engaged in the housing (32), the lip (35)sealingly engages the housing (32).

Embedded in the cap (34) is an antenna (50). The antenna (50) isconnected to the radio card (40) through contacts (51 and 52) disposedon the cap (34) and contacts (41 and 42) disposed on the radio card(40). Contact (52) is the ground contact for the antenna (50) and isconnected to the end of the antenna (50). Contact (42) is the groundcontact for the radio card (40). Contact (51) is the signal contact andis connected to the antenna (50) a short distance from the end of theantenna (50). Contact (41) is the signal contact for the radio card(40).

Contact (51) and contact (41) are disposed on the cap (34) and the radiocard (40), respectively, such that the contacts engage each other whenthe cap (34) is inserted into or engaged with the housing (32) of thecomputer device (30). Similarly, contact (52) and contact (42) aredisposed on the cap (34) and the radio card (40), respectively, suchthat the contacts engage each other when the cap (34) is inserted intoor engaged with the housing (32) of the computer device (30). Thecontacts shown in the present embodiment are of the metal button typewherein the connection is made when the two metal surfaces meet. Manyvariations of the contacts are possible including the use of male/femaleconnections and spring type contacts.

A shield (48) is disposed around the bottom portion of the cap (34) andis used to reduce the escape of electronic noise. Typically in computerdevices of this type, the inside of the housing of the computer deviceis shielded. Additionally, the area immediately surrounding the radiodevice such as a radio card may also be shielded. By shielding the cap(34), the integrity of the housing and radio shields are not breached bythe opening used to insert and remove the radio card. The shield (48) isconnected to the antenna ground contact (52) on the cap (34). A hole(59) in the shield (48) allows the signal contacts (51 and 41) to engagewithout being grounded.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the cap (34) is shown embedded within which aretwo antennas (60 and 62) designed to receive and transmit differentradio frequency signals. The first antenna (60) and the second antenna(62) are both connected to a common ground contact (67) which isconnected to the shield and which engages the ground contact (77) on theradio card (70). The first antenna (60) is connected to a first signalcontact (65) and is disposed on the cap (34) to engage a first signalcontact (75) disposed on the radio card (70). Similarly, the secondantenna (62) is connected to a second signal contact (66) and isdisposed on the cap (34) to engage a second signal contact (76) disposedon the radio card (70). Thus the radio card (70) will use a signal viacontact (75) or via contact (76) depending upon which antenna it wouldlike to use. Which antenna it would like to use is dependent upon thedesired frequency upon which it want to transmit and receive.

The radio card (70) as shown has three contacts (75, 76 and 77).However, if the radio transceiver in the radio card (70) is designedsuch that it would only be able to transmit and receive signals whichcorrespond to the first antenna (60), then it would not need to havecontact (76) and it could be left off. Similarly, if the radio card (70)were only going to use second antenna (62) then contact (75) could beomitted. Thus, standardizing contact position with respect to antennatype allows for flexibility in cap usage with various radio cards suchthat only appropriate antennas will be connected to the radio card.

Referring to FIG. 9, two antennas (80 and 82) are embedded in the cap(34). In this embodiment built in accordance with the present invention,the two antennas (80 and 82) not only share a common ground contact (86)which engages the ground contact (96) of the radio card (90), but theyalso share a common signal contact (85) which engages the signal contact(95) on the radio card (90). Thus, both antennas receive and transmitsignals using the same two contacts. This embodiment requires a radiocard (90) which can filter the different signals and thus use the signalfrom the desired antenna while ignoring the signals which arrive via theother antenna.

Referring to FIG. 10, a computer device (11) built in accordance withthe present invention is shown which is designed to implement an antennadiversity scheme. A first antenna (101) is embedded in the cap (20). Asecond antenna (102) is shown embedded in the band (22). As discussed inthe embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, the two antennas (101 and 102) sharea common ground contact (107). The first antenna (101) is connected to asignal contact (105). Likewise, the second antenna (102) is connected toa signal contact (106). The hole (49) in the shield (48) which preventthe signal contacts (105 and 106) from grounding is shown in dashedlines.

The first antenna (101) is similar to the second antenna (102) and bothare designed to transmit and receive similar radio frequency signals.When the cap (20) is engaged in the opening of the housing (12), thefirst antenna (101) and the second antenna (102) will be perpendicularwith respect to each other. The quality of the signal received by thefirst antenna (101) and the quality of the signal received by the secondantenna (102) may be greatly different since the antennas are place atright angles with respect to each other. In the present embodiment, theradio card can check the quality of each signal and use the antennawhich is currently receiving the stronger signal. Additionally, it canswitch to the other antenna when the conditions change such that thesignal is no longer acceptable. Utilizing two similar antennas in thismatter, antenna diversification, can be very important in computerterminals of this type since they are often mobile and are oftensubjected to a rapidly changing environment. An antenna diversificationscheme of this type can be used to help eliminate the reception problemsassociated with signal multipath.

Referring now to FIG. 11, another embodiment of the present invention isshown with the first antenna (111) and the second antenna (112) attachedto the housing (12) of the computer terminal (11). As in the embodimentshown in FIG. 10, the first antenna (111) is similar to the secondantenna (112) and both are designed to transmit and receive similarradio frequency signals and are perpendicular with respect to each othersuch that an antenna diversity scheme can be implemented. The antennas(111 and 112) are connected to the contacts (105, 106 and 107) throughthe cap (20) and though the band (12).

Referring to FIG. 13, the embodiment of FIG. 11 is shown with the onlydifferences being that the first antenna (121) and the second antenna(122) are positioned slightly differently and the antennas are designedto transmit and receive different radio frequency signals. Thus, theradio card uses the signal on contact (105) when it wants to receivesignals via the first antenna (121) and uses the signal on contact (106)when it wants to receive signal via the second antenna (122).

In FIGS. 10, 11 and 13, the portion of the connection between thecontacts (105, 106 and 107) and the antennas which pass through the band(12) are shown schematically as wires. In the best mode of the presentinvention, the transmission of the signal through the band (12) would beaccomplished through the use of a micro shield strip (130) as shown inFIG. 12. The micro shield strip consists of several conductive ribbonsrunning the length of the band (12) and separated by the non-conductivematerial of the band (12). A wide top ribbon (133) and a wide bottomribbon (134) are used to sandwich two smaller ribbons (136 and 137). Thesmaller ribbons (136 and 137) are used to transmit the antenna signalsand are connected to contacts (105 and 106) respectively. The wide bands(133 and 134) are common to each other and are used to ground each ofthe antennas and are connected to the ground contact (107) on the cap(20). The wide ground ribbons (133 and 134) shield the smaller antennasignal ribbons (136 and 137) and help to maintain the signal integrity.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore understoodthat, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may bepracticed otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:
 1. A radio assembly used in an electronic device having adevice housing that has an opening, the radio assembly comprising:aradio card comprising a card housing, a radio circuit disposed withinthe card housing, and at least one antenna contact coupled to the radiocircuit; the radio card coupling with the electronic device via theopening in the device housing; a cap disposed to matingly engage theopening in the device housing; a plurality of cap contacts disposed onthe cap; a plurality of antennas coupled to the plurality of capcontacts; and the at least one antenna contact of the radio card beingpositioned to selectively couple with less than all of the plurality ofcap contacts.
 2. The radio assembly of claim 1 wherein the cap includesa lip disposed to sealingly engage the device housing at the peripheryof the opening in the device housing.
 3. The radio assembly of claim 1wherein at least a portion of one of the plurality of antennas isdisposed on the cap.
 4. The radio assembly of claim 1 further comprisinga band connected to the cap and the electronic device.
 5. The radioassembly of claim 4 wherein at least a portion of one of the pluralityof antennas is attached to the band.
 6. The radio assembly of claim 5wherein at least a portion of one of the plurality of antennas isdisposed on the cap.
 7. The radio assembly of claim 5 wherein a first ofthe plurality of antennas having a different orientation than a secondof the plurality of antennas.
 8. The radio assembly of claim 7 whereinthe radio circuit selects between the first and the second of theplurality of antennas.
 9. The radio assembly of claim 5 wherein a firstof the plurality of antennas having a different performancecharacteristics than that of a second of the plurality of antennas. 10.The radio assembly of claim 9 wherein the radio circuit selects betweenthe first and the second of the plurality of antennas.
 11. A radioassembly used in an electronic device having a device housing, the radioassembly comprising:a radio card comprising a card housing, a radiocircuit disposed within the card housing, and a plurality of antennacontacts coupled to the radio circuit; the radio card coupling with theelectronic device when operably installed into the electronic device; acap with a plurality of contacts coupled to a corresponding plurality ofantennas; the plurality of antennas, each having different operationalcharacteristics, coupling with the plurality of antenna contacts of theradio card via the plurality of contacts of the cap; and the radiocircuit selecting from the plurality of antennas based on theoperational characteristics of the plurality of antennas.
 12. The radioassembly of claim 11 a first of the plurality of antennas having adifferent orientation than a second of the plurality of antennas. 13.The radio assembly of claim 11 wherein the device housing having anopening for receiving the radio card, and the cap engaging the openingof the device housing.
 14. The radio assembly of claim 13 wherein atleast a portion of the plurality of antennas is disposed on the cap. 15.The radio assembly of claim 13 further comprising a band connected tothe cap and the electronic device.